The use of sealed curtains is known in the prior art. Generally, a sealed curtain apparatus comprises a curtain and tracks along the frame of an opening such as a door or window. The edges of the curtain are engaged by the tracks. As the curtain is moved towards a position covering the opening, the edges of the curtain travel along the tracks. The benefit of this design is that the sealed curtain prevents matter such as insects and debris from passing through the space between the curtain and the frame. However, because the curtain is sealed, the apparatus becomes less durable because it cannot yield to external forces. With unsealed curtains, an external force applied to the curtain will merely briefly displace the curtain from the door or window frame. With sealed curtains, the engagement of the curtain edges with the tracks on the frame prevents the curtain from becoming displaced. Consequently, an external force applied to the sealed curtain may cause stress on the curtain leading to breakage.
In this respect, the durable sealing curtain according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus which provides a seal between the edges of a curtain and the frame of an opening such as a door or window that is better able to withstand the application of substantial external forces without suffering failure of the apparatus.
Furthermore, in the prior art, the more tautly a sealed curtain is pulled across an opening, the more difficult it generally is to slide the curtain along the tracks. In this respect, the durable sealing curtain according to the present invention allows the curtain to be loosened while urged open or shut and then returned to a taut position when the curtain is in place.